


April Showers

by TheVineSpeaketh



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (2012), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Dialogue-Only, M/M, Sad Loki, Trolling Heimdall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 16:49:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/902604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVineSpeaketh/pseuds/TheVineSpeaketh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki knows that the one thing that could make or break his future success is Howard Stark. It was, after all, his people who ended up locating Steven Rogers. He got more than he bargained for, however, and soon, instead of leading the man astray, began to help him.</p><p>Why? Because Loki's a fool, that's why. And maybe Howard's just as foolish.</p><p>Dialogue fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	April Showers

**Author's Note:**

> Rinascita by Andrea Carri. I guess if this pairing had a song, this would be it. I listened to it a lot while finishing this up.
> 
> And this sort of came out of me watching Captain America again and going 'Oh. That'd be cool.'
> 
> Oh, and this is a different writing style from the one I usually have. Tell me if you like it. I'd love some feedback. It'd definitely encourage me to try new things.
> 
> Thanks, and enjoy the read!

_“Mr. Howard Stark?”_

“Yes? Who is this?”

_“I want you to get to your office, close and lock your door, and wait for your telephone to ring.”_

“What? Who is this? …Hello? Hello?”

“Who was that, Mr. Stark?”

“Nobody. Just some weird lunatic.”

* * *

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

_Ring, ri—_

“Hello?”

_“Howard Stark?”_

“Yes, the one and only. What do you want?”

_“I have called with the hope that you would allow me the chance to help you locate Captain Steven Rogers using all the means at my disposal.”_

“…what?”

_“I have devised a system that I am certain would help speed up the process of locating and recovering Captain America from where he crashed a year ago.”_

“…how?”

_“By being cooperative, Mr. Stark.”_

“And how do I know you’re not just some loon waiting to mug me or something?”

_“It is a simple matter of trust.”_

“I was taught not to give that away too easily.”

_“Understandable. Most people would be foolish to take up this offer.”_

“Then why should I?”

_“Believe me when I tell you I am working in your best interests, Mr. Stark. Currently, I am trying to isolate a signature given off by the vibranium.”_

“Track him… via the shield?”

_“Yes. Unfortunately, vibranium isolation is nearly impossible in the conditions surrounding the estimated location of the crash, and so I am merely doing a scan to get a basic area, give or take a few hundred kilometers. I can send them directly to you now, if you are interested.”_

“This kind of technology is far beyond our time.”

_“Nonsense. I’m simply using radar. So, what do you say? Have we a partnership?”_

“…Fine. But I’m only doing it for Rogers, you understand?”

_“I can see no other reason why you would.”_

* * *

 

“So, what do I call you? Partner? Brit?”

_“I prefer the name Key.”_

“Key? Like locks and keys?”

_“Exactly. Like locks and keys.”_

“Because you’re my key to Rogers?”

_“Because I’m simply a key, nothing more.”_

* * *

 

_“I have some coordinates you may be interested in. It’s not the Captain, but it is something with a high amount of radiation that is disturbing the deep not a few miles off the coast of an island. I’ll give them to you now if you wish to investigate.”_

“Sure, I’ve got a pen. Give them to me, and while you’re at it, why not shoot me your address.”

_“That doesn’t seem very cautious of me, giving away my address without a second thought.”_

“You’re a finicky one, aren’t you?”

_“I do try.”_

* * *

 

“And how did you become such a smart cookie, then, Key?”

_“I read.”_

“You read, huh?”

_“Mhm.”_

“What precisely do you read?”

_“Oh, fantasy, mostly. When I’m not reading the scientific papers of the time, that is.”_

“Of course. Anything beyond our time is completely unreasonable.”

_“Some of those scientists may be a little forceful or out there with their accusations.”_

“And that makes them unbelievable.”

_“To me, yes. Anyone who tries to force an idea or ideal upon another is asking for their own beliefs to be refuted.”_

“Sounds like you don’t like to be talked down to.”

_“I have never enjoyed the feeling of being undervalued.”_

“And yet you are willing to let me take all the credit if we discover Captain America using your methods.”

_“And your technology. A fair share of my efforts stem from your genius.”_

“My genius?”

_“In a manner of speaking.”_

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I already know I’m a genius. It’s just, hearing you say it is different.”

_“It shouldn’t matter whether or not I believe you are a genius, Howard.”_

“I never said anything of the sort.”

_“I assumed it.”_

“You know what happens when you assume things.”

_“That kind of conclusion was logical to jump to, all things considered. I’m just another one of the nameless faceless anonymous surrounding you; my opinion is naught.”_

“…So, what kind of fantasy do you read?”

_“Changing the subject to mask some insecurity?”_

“Keep this up and I’ll dig up your identity.”

_“You wouldn’t.”_

“Try me.”

_“…Fine. I am mostly fond of Tolkien’s works, particularly The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Lord of the Rings, in that order.”_

“I have no idea who this Tolkien guy is. He famous?”

_“…Oh, shite.”_

“What? Scanner acting up?”

_“No, I just forgot what time it is.”_

“It’s 8:46 here. Assuming you’re anywhere near here.”

_“I’m nowhere near there.”_

“I knew you were English.”

_“Howard.”_

“Now I just have to look into a census that will tell me all English people who just so happen to act like they have a PhD in Psychology and a love for unknown authors.”

_“We’re not doing this.”_

“Why shouldn’t I know? Why shouldn’t I be able to figure out who is helping me find the guy I have spent a year looking for?”

_“Because I’m not a person. I’m merely the key.”_

“Merely the key. And Captain’s the lock.”

_“Precisely.”_

“And what happens when I open the lock?”

_“…The key will break.”_

“Keys don’t break.”

_“Old keys do.”_

“And what, you’re an old key?”

_“I am older than you may think.”_

“I’m old enough not to give a damn.”

_“Howard.”_

“Drunk enough, too.”

_“Howard.”_

“If you were here – ”

_“ **Howard** – ”_

“ – I would lavish upon you every attention you ever desired.”

_“Your eloquent drunkenness is not going to deter me from my tasks, nor is it going to win me over.”_

“Yet you’re still here.”

_“As the nameless, as the faceless. Anonymous.”_

“…As the key.”

_“As the key, yes.”_

“…Is that all you will ever be?”

_“…Perhaps.”_

“Perhaps?”

_“Perhaps.”_

“You’re not giving a guy any breaks.”

_“He’s a devil. He deserves none.”_

“Awh, perhaps you don’t know him well enough.”

_“Everyone knows him.”_

“Nobody knows him.”

_“…I know.”_

* * *

 

“Key?”

_“Sorry, sorry. Just… Out of it, I guess.”_

“I hear a klaxon. It’s not the best sound to hear over the phone, I can tell you that. Is something wrong?”

_“No, it’s just – ”_

**_“Time is unconquerable. You think you can reach back and try to grasp that which has already been set? Time is immovable. Time is unstoppable. This is a fixed point in the millennium! This is something that you cannot change!”_ **

“Key? What’s going on? Who is that?”

**_“Your reasons are petty and selfish! Your task is meaningless and deluded! You will not succeed!”_ **

_“My reasons are no longer petty or selfish. Cease your annoying blabbering before I rip out your tongue and set a bilge snipe on your bloody trail.”_

**_“Your reasons are still selfish, still as petty as ever, even if, by nature, they have changed. The end result, should you succeed, would be the same. Even so, you are still doomed to failure. You would still, in the aftermath, be left in the ashes. You will still, by their hands, break.”_ **

_“Get out of here! Go! Get away from here! Your words are poison. Let me have this, if nothing else! Cease this torment!”_

**_“I cannot change what I see – ”_ **

_“I must go.”_

“Key, wait! …Key? Key! …Godamnit!”

* * *

 

“I don’t want your help anymore.”

_“…What? But I’ve just begun stabilizing a scan based on an algorithm – ”_

“Look, your sexy mathematical talk isn’t going to deter me from saying what I need to say.”

_“…Howard?”_

“You need to stop. Stop all of this. Just… stop.”

_“But Howard – ”_

“I can’t exist like this! I can’t hang off this desperate prayer anymore! I’ve got more than enough information to locate his general position on the globe at this point. That’s more than I had a few months ago.”

_“There is more that can be done – ”_

“And it **will** be done.”

_“…But not by me.”_

“…I just need something to hold on to. Something that’s real. Something that won’t slip out of my reach.”

_“I am **real** , Howard.”_

“You’re right, but you never act like it. You’re always ephemeral. You’re a ghost.”

_“Because I don’t need to be seen to act. So much I have contributed, and none of it has my face tagged on it.”_

“We both know I’m not talking about contributions and the like anymore, Key. I passed that phase a long time ago.”

_“…Before you say something you’ll regret later, how drunk are you?”_

“A little. But that doesn’t matter.”

_“Then what does?”_

“You. And me. Us. Possibly on a very long trip far, far away from here.”

_“I’m not there.”_

“You will be.”

_“And how do you know that?”_

“I don’t. It’s all rather dependent on one variable, really.”

_“And what variable is that?”_

“You. All of this comes down to you.”

_“And what do I need to do?”_

“Just say yes.”

_“And what, exactly, am I saying yes to?”_

“A long cruise across the ocean. A very powerful man with a lot of money content to bend to your will. Possible happiness, if only you’ll let me try.”

_“…You’re drunk, Howard.”_

“Key…”

_“I have a few figures I’m shooting your way now. With any luck, they’ll get to you by the morrow.”_

“You can’t just blow this proposition off because I’ve indulged in the bottle a little. Key. It’s unfair.”

_“…Have you ever thought that maybe this isn’t fair for me, either? Have you ever thought, in your self-absorbed, ever-changing finicky little mind that maybe **I** don’t **want** what I’ve set myself up for? Have you ever given it any clear consideration that maybe I’m lonely, holed up in this tiny little prison cell I pretend to call my home, that maybe I’m broken because I always see you on the news and I never get the chance to actually truly **see** you, touch you, be with you? That for the first time in my miserably long life, I’ve finally met someone who I can banter with, who brushes off my magic and skill and challenges me, dares me to go further than I did before? Did you ever think, Howard Stark, that I risked all of my ambitions and then gave it all up, submitted myself to the mundane for however long it would take me to find him for you, just so I could hear you smiling over this damn telephone?! Did you ever for once feel the staggering weight of my failures… I gave up the world… I gave up a dominion to rule as I saw fit… I gave up an eternity at peace… Just because I love you enough? I love you enough to find him…”_

“…Key…”

_“I gave up the world… I am a fool.”_

“Key?”

_“I am a fool… I cannot have you, even if I wanted you.”_

“Wait! Don’t jump to conclusions. You don’t even know – ”

_“Nor do you! You have no idea what I am doing this for!”_

“Did you ever think that I just didn’t care?”

_“You ought to.”_

“Well, I don’t.”

_“The fate of the world – ”_

“I’m selfish enough to ignore it.”

_“The existence of technology beyond your wildest dreams – ”_

“I don’t care. I’ve had enough of technology for now. Ever heard of fondue?”

_“Howard.”_

“I want to try some with you.”

_“Howard.”_

“It’s just bread and cheese, but – ”

_“The fates of both the Captain and your son rest heavily upon my failures.”_

“…What?”

_“If I succeed and you find him now, and you drag the Captain from his slumber and he awakens, then I will be one step closer to taking the world as my own.”_

“…”

_“And if I ever meet you in person, Howard, and we do, indeed, somehow join together for life as lovers and partners, then your son may very well cease to exist.”_

“My… son?”

_“He is a remarkable one.”_

“…What’s his name?”

_“Anthony. But he prefers to be called Tony.”_

“And… the Captain?”

_“He is eventually recovered. Together, he and your son, along with a few other remarkable individuals, successfully save the world from invasion of a force from across the universe. They are a warrior race called the Chitauri.”_

“But, you said – ”

_“I am the one leading this magnificent force. Using your son’s self-sustaining energy source – ”_

“His **what?** ”

_“ – a generator is started that uses the energy and power of the Tesseract to open a rift between the army and New York City.”_

“…”

_“But this is your world, Stark. And I cannot touch it any longer, not while you still live. Come morning, you may not even remember any of this.”_

“So you’re saying I’m in love with a criminal who is in contact with aliens and, later in time, will scale an attack upon the streets of New York City?”

_“No.”_

“Then what are you saying?”

_“I’m saying you have become infatuated with a jotun raised by the gods, banished into exile, and who will, in the future, scale an invasion of your world with the hopes of ruling it.”_

 “And what am I supposed to do?”

_“...Nothing. Nothing at all.”_

* * *

 

_Ring, ring!_

“Nngh… My head cannot bear your ringing, telephone. Sleep in, like the rest of us.”

_Ring, ring!_

“…Wow. Remind me not to drink the bourbon at Vinny’s anymore.”

_Ring, ring!_

_Ring, ri –_

“Hello?”

_“Mr. Stark? It’s Clarisse, from the office.”_

“Mmhm, what is it, darlin’? Sorry if I’m running late, I have the worst hangover in the history of mankind.”

_“Well, I came in this morning to start the coffee machine in your office, and the place was a wreck.”_

“…A wreck?”

_“One of your filing cabinets was just flung wide open and there are papers everywhere. It looks like someone went through everything.”_

“Oh, Lord. Are any of my designs missing? Have you called the police?”

_“I have, sir, and they said they were on their way. None of your designs are missing, but some of your calculations about Captain Rogers’ location are missing. It seems odd to me. None of your other cabinets were even touched. It’s like they knew what they were looking for.”_

“I bet you anything it’s a few leftover Nazis. Tell the police all you know when they get there, and tell them if they arrive before me that I’m on my way.”

_“Of course, Mr. Stark. Do you think you know who did this? They seemed oddly specific in their search.”_

“You should have become a sleuth, Clarisse. …But, nobody comes to mind when I think on it.”

_“Okay, sir. I’ll let you get ready.”_

“Alright, dear.”

_Click._

“Damnit. I’m not going to be a kind man if I have to start over from scratch. At least I have the last of the coordinates that Willard was sailing to – the hell are these?”

…

“Tickets to a cruise? What the hell? What time do I have to go cruising? Maybe Clarisse put them there. The devil. What cheek. I’ll have to speak to her about this. …Ugh. Assuming I can walk.”

* * *

_And so life goes on, and things don’t change. It kills Loki, but planning his scheme is more than enough._

_Well, maybe not. It’s still frustrating, so he pours a little more malice into his words than he ought. And maybe he throws Tony out the window for good measure._

_He isn't Howard after all, so he's fair game._

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on [tumblr!](http://exacteyewriting.tumblr.com)


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